molrak's page

I too was blown away by this awesome piece of art. It pretty closely mirrors how I envisioned the cleric kicking undead butt. I really, really like the color palette and the motion in the piece.

While I don't have much in the way of detail to share on our policy right now, you can expect that we'll ask for a few reasonable restrictions (such as proper attribution, and restriction against using our IP for profit), and in return we'll provide access to additional content that isn't available under Fair Use or the OGL.

Somewhat related to this, I was wondering if it's ok to upload covers for Paizo titles to sites like LibraryThing or Amazon. Amazon has the mockup covers (or worse, no cover at all) for a number of Paizo products. Granted, a user contributed cover on Amazon isn't the same as having the "real" cover updated, but it would be better than nothing. While I could photograph the covers or screenshot and resize the pdf's I own, LibraryThing requires that the uploader should have permission before uploading any images. I think that something like this would be fair use, but I haven't done so (in spite of my nagging OCD) because I try to be respectful of copyright.

I feel dirty for typing this, but...
OMG PONIES!!!

Now that the Beta has gone to the presses for a good week or two, it's probably time for me to chime in.

If there was one thing I would *add* to the Alpha 3 rules, it would be the background traits (and the additional traits feat) that were mentioned in the #pathfinder chat around the middle of June. That concept really reinforces some of the work I've done as a novice gm by trying to offer players a carrot to create characters with background. It's also a great way to mix fluff and crunch. While I understand that a lot of the really flavorful Golarion fluff would not be a good fit, the general ones would be a great addition. (I know it would be possible to add Golarion© flavor with the OGL by identifying it as product identity, but extra Paizo-specific traits could just as easily be omitted.)

I would *love* a high level Pathfinder module, as my gamers and fellow players hate to let go of their characters (especially the ones that haven't died). I don't know how much of a following there would be for 15+ adventures, let alone 20+ epic adventures, but you can count me in for both. If there were to be epic Pathfinder anything, I would want the epic levels to undergo the PRPG revision before it an epic adventure was published. I'm not holding my breath though--if the boards are any indicator, it feels like we'll have a psionic PRPG supplement before we have epic PRPG.

My nipples explode with delight.

Is there a reason this isn't showing up in my Pathfinder Modules subscription? My last shipped module was The Demon Within, but the next module to ship it says is Tower of the Last Baron.

Really? Because it DOES seem like a cool plot for the first epic Pathfinder adventure path... if we ever decide to do something like that, of course...

Wow, two ellipses there... my epic senses are tingling! Hopefully I'm not just setting myself up for epic disappointment.

Thank you for choosing to involve the community with your new system, and for valuing your customers so much. Between the openness and innovation involved in this playtest and the great customer service I've seen from you all at Paizo over the last month, you've earned one very satisfied customer here!

I agree 100% that Pathfinder should be inclusive (and representative) of all of Golarion's cultures and genders. However, I don't know that comics/cartoons would add a whole lot to the book. I agree that it would be good for the book to put a greater emphasis on the different ways to role (or roll) play, but I don't know if drastic changes in art direction are the answer I would pursue.

Frankly, I like the almost classic feel that the 3.x books have in comparison to the older editions (and what I've seen of 4.0), but that's just my personal taste. Line art would be great too, and I enjoyed the 'pencil sketch' feel that some sections of official core has now, but I also really enjoy the art in the current alpha. I'd love to have more new art, but I realize we're at an early phase right now in the project. I'm also hoping for diagrams on combat maneuvers and other sections that would need it, especially where there are rule changes.

In my opinion, Pathfinder RPG shouldn't be backwards compatible--it should degrade/downgrade gracefully to 3.x rules. The current OGL SRD-based products are compatible. The Pathfinder RPG, at least at this stage, seems a bit beyond the bounds of true compatibility.

Also: Any paladin players out there really care about the horse?

To be honest, the paladin's mount has been a joke with our group, in a similar (er, identical) vein to the way Order of the Stick did it, with a pokeball magic'ing up a horse. The best, or at least most logical, use of the mount I've ever seen with DnD was in the premium module Wyvern Crown of Cormyr for Neverwinter Nights (1). Granted, they just showed up out of nowhere and you didn't have choices, but it just worked.

I haven't had a chance to play the new rules yet (waiting for the current campaign to finish up). From reading the pdf, I agree that the new turning might be a bit overpowered and worrisome (especially for the evil leaning clerics), but I like them a heck of a lot better than the current 3.5 rules.

My biggest issue with leadership and cohorts is that they tend to slow game play down. Unfortunately I don't know what the solution is (if there even can be a solution).

I certainly understand why people love the LG paladin and all that the class represents. The romantic ideal of the classic paladin is certainly one of the cores of the Arthurian legends, and I appreciate how this class has been a key component of DnD since its inception (and all the memories and baggage that go along with that).

My problem with the LG-only paladin is that it limits player choice. It feels like a cop out that if I want to play a paragon of evil, I have to multiclass from something to Blackguard, while the paragon of good can start from level 1. It also annoys me when I read the description of a god in a setting book, and when it lists their followers' alignment options, there's an asterisk and it mentions how LG is allowed for the god's paladins when LG is otherwise unavailable. Unless it's required for an RP reason, to me it makes more sense to go with a cleric and buff up their combat abilities than to go with a paladin.

If the paladin were to morph into a (2/3/4/9)-way alignment option, I would hope that it would be in a similar vein to how the cleric works. I would be very opposed to seeing additional core and prestige classes of "the (n)pc paragon of a deity's beliefs" unless they were substantially different from one another. Perhaps the solutions listed above would work, following the same alignment as their deity and choosing a domain power or something to individualize them a bit. Although at that point, we're back to the whole "How is this differentiated from the cleric?" argument.

Backporting non-LG paladins from PRPG to 3.x would be an issue too, and one without a clear solution. Certainly it shouldn't be too much of a problem if the player chooses to follow an LG deity. I suppose it depends on how important such a change would be viewed.

While I personally like the concept of the paladin morphing into champion of their god's beliefs and domains, I really don't know if it would be the best move for PRPG. Even amongst my small gaming group, this is one of the hot button issues that almost always devolves into a six-way shouting match before it fizzles out. Then again, you gotsta kill the cow if you wanna eat the steak.

I can appreciate the need to focus on the basics for the first release of the Pathfinder RPG, but I too am throwing in my support for an Epic Level Supplement for PRPG at some point the future. As it has been stated in the Pathfinder forums that there won't be any epic support included in the core AP's (and understandably so), it would be nice to see epic levels officially supported in some way. That said, I'd hope that such a release really tried to improve upon some of the balance issues inherent with epic levels as they exist now in the SRD.

*rolls D20*
*checks chart*
"I for one welcome our new gaming overlords, er, system."

This is exactly what I hoped Paizo would do--continue on with the sound system that they have and know, and maybe even enhance it. I am a little surprised (and very excited) about the alpha and beta tests of the Pathfinder RPG system--it will be interesting to flip through it and try it out with my group.

This kind of openness is exactly what I love about the OGL and Paizo in particular. It's good to see that a company *gets* that being open with certain parts of their business can actually help their business expand, as has been the case with Paizo and Pathfinder. I don't know if openness is a part of Paizo's mission statement, but you people are certainly living up to it even if it's not.

Does anyone know how much the rise of the terrain is, in and around Korvosa? I've only had a chance to skim over the Player's Guide, the Guide to Korvosa, and Edge of Anarchy, so it's entirely possible I missed any terrain references in them. One can get a general idea of the slope from the shading on the hills and the the way the streets wind throughout the area.

I noticed heights for some notable buildings and landmarks, and it's generally pretty easy to extrapolate the size of the small buildings by their footprint and descriptions of the general buildings in each district. Any specific pointers/specifications anyone could toss out would be great.

I'm more interested to craft the story after the Harrow reading, to make it match. Be great for improv adventures too.

I've been struggling for a hook for a one-off, low-prep game I'm GM'ing in a week, and that is a fabulous idea! (Here's hoping that my cards arrive by next weekend.)

Mol,

I've brought your subscriptions up to speed, and you should have just received the confirmation email. I apologize for the delay.
thanks,
cos

Ain't no thang--I received the email. Thanks cos!

I seem to be in the same boat. My subscription skipped Pathfinder #7, as well as Pathfinder Chronicles Guide to Korvosa and the Harrow Deck. (The Pathfinder Module was this month's when I ordered, so as far as I can tell, it was not affected.)

Could the official description of these subscriptions be added to the official FAQ? I too was a little confused about all the new subscriptions, especially with the name change to the Modules line happening around the same time.

1) Do you plan to convert to the new edition of D&D?

No. I'm a returned/renewed pnp gamer, and I really like the improvements that 3.x made to ADnD. Even some of the warts are less annoying than the old ones. I can't really say the same of the changes I've seen thus far in 4th edition. I'll hold off judgment until a bit more information is available, but at this point, I am a few years off from considering 4e purchases. The bulk of my (admittedly small) gaming circle seems to be in agreement.

2) If Paizo converts its RPG products to 4.0, how will that affect your purchasing patterns for our products?

I've typically picked up Paizo products from my FLGS, but since it's largely morphed into just a LGS, I'm probably going to subscribe. If it's feasible to include 4.x->3.x conversion guidelines, even if it's as a separate product, I would definitely continue to buy Paizo products. If it's not feasible, due to licensing issues or a lack of demand, then it would be more difficult for me to justify the purchase of products for a system I'm not that interested in.

3) If Paizo does not convert its RPG products to 4.0, how will that affect your purchasing patterns for our products?

I don't know how the rest of the market will shake out, but I'm definitely interested in seeing 3.5 (via the srd and ogl) continue onward and perhaps even evolve. I would definitely continue with my purchases with Paizo and increase them where feasible.

In college, some of my friends would actually do that whole, "Greetings! It's a..." roll d20... "PLEASURE to meet you!" It had started to evolve into a fairly convoluted system by the time I graduated.